


Ian finds the Doctor

by madammina



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, Just a quick thing, Written before Amy and Rory left
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-14
Updated: 2013-08-14
Packaged: 2017-12-23 12:04:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/926186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madammina/pseuds/madammina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been almost fifty years since Professor Ian Chesterton left the TARDIS.  His life has been lived, until someone decides to interrupt his class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ian finds the Doctor

“I swear my teacher is mental,” The young man said as he tossed an orange. “Did you hear how he refused to grade the insect exam for that professor?” 

“He’s old,” the second boy said as he typed up his essay. “Jack, give him a break.”

“But, insects? Alex, please.” Jack began to unravel the orange. “Then there was the fight he got into with the history professor over Saladin and Richard the first.”

“He fought?”

“Yeah, when he was growing up, military service was mandatory.” Jack bit the orange. “And then there was him and those aliens...”

“What happened?”

“Remember when those Dakens or whatever they were attacked Earth?”

“Yes...” Alex said as he checked a source.

“Well, he started talking about static electricity and flipped out when they levitated.”

“A lot of people did.”

“How many of them said ‘They can’t do that.’?” Jack gave Alex an odd look over his orange. Alex slammed the laptop shut.

“What, you think he met the Daleks before?”

“Yep. Look, just come with me to his class.” Jack pleaded. “I just want you to see how he teaches. He’s a bit odd, but he’s brilliant.”

“He’s 80.”

“And he’s brilliant. ALEX....” Alex rolled his eyes, but packed up his laptop and went.

\---

 

Ian sighed as he straightened up and got out of his seat. Until Barbara died, he had not aged and then... well, then age caught up to him very quickly. All the aches and pains, they all came within in the last two years. It was not enough time to adjust...

“Good Afternoon, class.” Ian walked next to his desk. It was a normal astronomy teachers desk, globes, models of the solar system, but it had an ancient Roman goblet on it. He never explained why he had it, and the students just put it up to “Dr. Chesterton being weird.” He took a deep breath. “This afternoon we will-”

 _vworp, vworp, vworp..._ wind whipped around the hall as a blue police box materialized on the other side of the desk. Ian could feel his heart race. _After all this time? Is he?_

An incredibly young man stepped out of the TARDIS. Most of his students appeared to be older than the man... though none of them wore his bowtie. He had brown hair, bright blue eyes, and he seemed to have so little control over his limbs...

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Ian finally asked. 

“Chesterfield! Don’t tell me you have alzheimers. I thought I checked you wouldn’t have that. Did I?” The man hurried over to Ian and began to look him over. After a few seconds, the man began to touch Ian's face. “Yes, yes, right time line, right age.... Oh.. OH! That’s it! Charlton, you don’t know I can regenerate! No, you left before that happened. AMY! FIND THE CLOSET!” Ian just blinked as the man ran back into the TARDIS. 

 

“Class dismissed!” He shouted and waved his hand. It was going to be one of those days. 

“Rory, no, Rory, I need to find the ring. Where did it fall off...” There was the sound of something falling over. “Amy! Get out, the closet is small.”

“It’s bigger than my old house!” Whomever spoke, she was Scottish.

“And you don’t know you’re way around it.”

“Doctor, who is he?” a red headed girl who must have been named Amy walked out of the TARDIS in a huff.

“I am Ian Chesterton.” Ian said as he held out a hand. “And you are....?”

“Oh, Amy Pond.” Amy gave a smile and shook his hand. “You knew the Doctor?”

“Yes, well-”

“Sorry, Chessmen, I can’t find the ring.” The young man poked his head out of the TARDIS. “I’ll have to find that cane! Or Cameca’s trinket! You saw that, didn’t you? No, no... you had Ixta problems. Hmm... What about that cloak from the Sensorites?” and he disappeared again. Then he poked his head back out. “I see you took the Roman goblet.” But he vanished back for Ian could say anything.

“Can’t you just use the Sonic Screwdriver? And, hi, I’m Rory.” A young man with blond hair who seemed oddly diminished shook Ian’s hand. 

“Yes, Rory was a Roman like you.” Ian heard the man echo. He peeped out again. "Well, go on, catch up. Start talking about adventures or something." The man tugged at the bowtie then went back into the TARDIS.

"How did you meet that man?" Ian finally asked. 

"Oh, he promised to take me traveling with him when I was five. It took awhile for that to happen."Amy said as she checked a phone. "Now, The Doctor's been talking about you. Did you REALLY teach cavemen how to make fire?" 

"It's... slightly more complicated than that." Ian muttered. "But are you sure that's The Doctor?" Ian finally asked. "He did always describe himself as a traveler but-"

"You were always the hardest to convince." The man said as he got out of the TARDIS. "What do you think, my boy? I had to run it through the machine to fix it though.” The young man wore the Doctor’s clothes. The cloak, the bowtie made of string, the vest, the pants, and he was trying to hold himself like The Doctor did. 

“Just say you regenerated and... is that a new bowtie?” Amy blinked at the outfit.

“One, bowties are always cool.” The young man tugged at it. “And, two, Charlton here doesn’t know about regeneration. He left before that came an issue.”

“So you were never in danger of dying?” Amy asked with a raised eyebrow. Ian held back a snort to see how the man responded. 

“What? No, I almost died a lot. The cavemen tried to capture me to make fire, that’s why I don’t smoke, and then the radiation on Skarro, oh! And the French revolution. Can’t forget that. But neither I or...” The man stopped himself. “I never needed to regenerate.” He straightened up. “Anyway, my dear-”

 

“Chesterton” Ian interrupted.

“Yes, that’s what I said.” The man continued. “I need you. In my TARDIS. Right now. You see, I need all of my... you know? Let’s just go in. I have so much to show you!” And the man took Ian’s hand and pulled him inside.

“I know it’s changed a lot since you been here, but what do you think?” The man spun around on the top of a small glass circular catwalk that surrounded the controls. “I miss the chairs too. Anyway, where do you want to go first? I need to see if you can handle the pressures of time travel. Should we check up on Xeros?”

“How are Susan and Vicki?” Ian asked as he took one of the two spare seats on the catwalk. Amy and Rory sat down on some stairs that led to another corridor. The young man made himself busy at some controls. “Where-”

“When, my boy.” The young man said. “Have you ever read Troilus and Cressida?”

“Yes, I , no.” Ian stared at the man. “No, really?”

“Yes! Vicki of the 25th century spent the rest of her day in Greece.”

“Well, that’s not-” Rory started to say.

“After the fall of Troy.”

 

“Oh. Doctor, what about that other-” Amy couldn’t finish sentence because the man looked up to interrupt.

 

“Amelia Pond, can you and Rory look for something in the back for me? Just... just something.”

“But-” Amy started to say, but Rory dragged her off. The young man just continued to fiddle with his machine for a bit. 

“Did you know I grew up during the Blitz?” Ian asked. His fingers drummed on his knees as he talked. The young man glanced over. “I was around six when it started. “

“Have I ever told you I’ve been to the Blitz? Well, it was after you-”The man turned away from Ian and started to move some levers. “Anyway, there was this kid.”

“Young man, I am talking. Shhh. My father was called off for active duty, as was my uncle, my cousin, my best friend’s father, and that’s not including the people I met as I grew up. Now, my father made it back, my uncle did not. And my father was never the same. In fact.” Ian stood and and walked over to the man. “He had the same look you have.”

“What look?” The man asked, but he clearly knew the answer. 

“The Thousand yard stare. You hide it very well, but I can see it. So tell me, young man, what war did you fight in?” There was a very long pause as the man rested his forehead on the crystalline engine.

“The Time War.” The man finally said. “It’s why I can’t go back for Susan. There are no other Time Lords, or ladies. She had nothing to do with it, but I don’t think she survived. And if she did, I can’t...” He slunk down slightly onto a chair and rested his head on the console. “Ian Chesterton-”

“It’s okay, Doctor.” Ian said. “I understand. Where do you want to go?"


End file.
